State DWD takes steps to help Golden Guernsey workers

Workers may be eligible for 60 days pay

The state Department of Workforce Development told WISN 12 News it has not gotten any response to its inquiries from OpenGate Capital, the Los Angeles owner of the Golden Guernsey Dairy plant, which closed down over the weekend.

Monday afternoon, the DWD said it is taking steps to help the more than 100 suddenly displaced workers. State law requires 60 days notice for a shutdown such as this.

“Clearly, the closure of the plant was unexpected for the employees and the Waukesha community, and the abrupt nature of the act is particularly troubling,” DWD Secretary Reggie Newson said. “We want the workers to know that we are here to support them and are working as quickly as we can to initiate services that will assist them and their families during this uncertain and difficult time.”

According to the Department of Workforce Development, workers may be able to recover up to 60 days pay from Opengate.

Rapid Response orientation sessions have been scheduled for affected workers in the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington counties region on Jan. 16 and 17 at the WOW Workforce Development Inc., offices at the Workforce Development Center, 892 Main Street, Suite A, Pewaukee.

Affected workers are asked to preregister by calling 262-695-8041.

Some workers gathered outside the plant Monday, unsure of their next move.

"We feel that we worked really hard for this company. A lot of us put our heart and soul into it," worker Andy McCarthy said.

McCarthy had worked there 32 years alongside more than 100 other employees now left locked out and wondering.

"I would like to know: What's my next step? And that's all we're asking right now; let us know. If it's over, it's over," McCarthy said.

WISN 12 News made numerous inquiries Monday to Golden Guernsey and OpenGate management but has not yet received a reply.

Golden Guernsey started in Milwaukee in 1930. The Waukesha dairy plant was the sole provider of Golden Guernsey products.